New Milestone for Project Emerald: First Container Plinth Deposit

3 October 2023 - Project Emerald, the complete transformation of the Europa Terminal at Quay 869, has reached another significant milestone. On Tuesday, October 3, the concrete was poured for the first container plinth. These plinths distribute the load of stacked containers across the foundation, a crucial step as the containers will soon be stacked 6 high instead of 3.

The Europa Terminal, constructed 32 years ago, requires this upgrade to continue accommodating the latest generation of ships. While the Europa Terminal can currently handle ships up to 11,000 TEU, it will be able to handle ships of up to 25,000 TEU after the upgrade. The pouring of concrete for the first container plinth marks a crucial step in the project. For the first 7 modules, 621 of these plinths are being manufactured, with the spaces in between filled with permeable aggregate to allow rainwater to penetrate the ground.

Project Emerald has already achieved several milestones, including the demolition of the old MO building, the relocation to Popaay Village, the pouring of the first crane beam, and the rerouting of the truck flow at the bridge. In February 2024, another milestone is scheduled: the assembly of the first automated stacking cranes (ASCs). These crane systems are essential due to the increasing number of containers from mega-ships. They can stack containers 6 high instead of 3. A total of 48 electric ASCs will be installed, increasing the terminal's capacity by 40% and reducing the carbon footprint per container by more than 50%. Additionally, PSA Belgium is investing in 12 new semi-automated quay cranes with Dual Hoist and OCR technology.

Project Emerald is expected to take approximately 9 more years to complete.

Project Emerald: storting eerste containerplint from PSA Belgium on Vimeo.